


Three leatherclad Musketeers.

by elisi



Category: Angel: the Series, Doctor Who
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-26
Updated: 2009-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-03 18:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elisi/pseuds/elisi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spike and Angel run into the Ninth Doctor. (Set sometime between 'The Doctor Dances' and 'Bad Wolf'/post-NFA.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three leatherclad Musketeers.

"Wow! Now _that_ was just amazing!"

As the dust from the last vampire slowly settled on the floor, Spike turned around in surprise, stake still poised.

Walking towards them across the floor was a tallish man, his dark hair cropped short and his outfit all black. His leather jacket was quite similar to the one Angel was wearing, if slightly shorter. But the strangest thing was the wide grin on his face, an almost childlike excitement that spread across his features.

Spike frowned and lowered the stake, casting a glance at Angel. He was checking that the magical artefacts they were retrieving as part of this particular job were indeed all in the bag they had liberated from the vampires. Illyria was sitting on some crates further away in the near empty warehouse, either bored or trying to commune with a stray spider.

Looking back to the stranger, Spike narrowed his eyes. He might look human, but there was something odd about him... although a cursory sniff proved he didn't smell like a demon.

"So - who are you?" he asked when the guy came nearer.

"I'm The Doctor!" he answered, before looking at the floor where the fight had taken place; the only witness of the recent violence a scattering of dust. "Were those really vampires?" he continued, as his eyes passed from Spike to Angel and back again.

"Yeah..." Spike replied, wondering who the hell the bloke was. Sounded Northern, but by now he was sure that he could hear two heartbeats, which was just downright weird. But then they were in a parallel universe - maybe humans had two hearts here?

"Very well Doctor," Angel said, as usual cutting the small talk. "We know _who_ you are, but not _what_."

"I'm a Time Lord. And never in all my travels have I come across vampires - I was certain they were only a legend or fairy tale. Where did they come from?"

"Another dimension. As did we." Angel replied. "They stole something of ours and jumped into this dimension trying to escape. Didn't work out too well for them." He smiled a little.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor beamed. "You can travel to different dimensions? How are you with time-travel?"

Spike shot a glance across at Angel. This Doctor was one of the strangest people they'd ever come across. If he was 'people' at all... what was a 'Time Lord'?

Before they could answer the question, The Doctor cut in again. " And just by the way - who are you?"

"I'm Angel and this is Spike." Angel replied. "Vampires, but with souls. Fighting the good fight and all that. That blueish creature over there is Illyria, once a Hell God. Now... somewhat downgraded."

"Right!" The Doctor answered, completely unfazed, although his eyebrows went up a good half-inch. "What do you say to getting a pint? It's only once a century or so that I come across anyone half as interesting as you lot!"

The vampires sought each others' eyes, thinking the same thing: "Every _century_? Definitely not human then!"

"Sounds like a good idea I guess." Spike replied cautiously.

*******

Soon afterwards three of them were ensconced in the 'The Lion and the Unicorn' which had been the first pub they came across. Illyria had walked off, intrigued by this world with no demons, but a universe full of aliens.

"So - what do you do, Doctor?" Angel asked as he leaned back in his seat.

"I travel through time - watching history unfold. Help people. Save the world now and again."

"Really?" Spike asked. "Sounds pretty familiar to tell the truth. Well apart from the time travel bit. How often do you reckon you've saved the world?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No idea. Lost count a long time ago. But then I'm around 900 now, so some things start to blend together."

"900?" Angel said. "That's... that's older than The Master was when Buffy killed him."

Spike nodded. "Yeah - that's a while. I'm only 125 - Angel's double that."

Angel slowly turned a beer mat over in his hands, a slightly petulant look on his face. "Well, I did spend around a century in that hell dimension, so technically I'm 350!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Fine oh Ancient One! It's _still_ only a third of _his_ age!"

Turning back to The Doctor, he asked. "Now I've always wondered about time-travel. Are there rules and stuff? That whole butterfly-effect thing - is that actually true?"

There followed a long discussion incorporating time-travel, dimensions, apocalypses and finally the sacrifices that had to be made. They were silent for a while after The Doctor had related the fate of his people.

"So... you travel alone then?" Spike finally asked.

"Sometimes." The Doctor replied. "At the moment though, I actually have two people travelling with me. Captain Jack Harkness, who I picked up in wartime London - an intergalactic hustler. And... Rose."

There was something about the way he said it that made Spike look at him sharply.

"That's a pretty name. Is the girl pretty too?" He frowned. "It is a girl right? Not some weird alien?"

The Doctor sighed. "Nope. Just an ordinary human girl. Except of course she isn't ordinary at all... It's funny really - I've had quite a few companions over the years. Nice girls to lend a hand and chat to when it got quiet. But then I met Rose..."

He shook his head in defeat. Spike eyed him sympathetically. "You love her."

A resigned smile. "Yup! Well and truly smitten. And no bloody use I'll ever be to her. She's only 19 - got her whole life in front of her..." He looked from one vampire to the other, both of whom were nodding slowly.

"Bleeding impossible, isn't it?" Spike said. "Real nice Catch-22! You wanna make her happy, but you know that if you stay with her, you'll only make her miserable in the end! Immortality can be a real bitch sometimes."

The Doctor nodded along, but then his eyes narrowed. "It happened to you too."

Spike smiled wryly. "Yeah - now _there's_ a story. Bit on the long side though, and the conclusion is obviously not all puppies and flowers. Ending up with old Broody Pants here wasn't quite how I hoped it would all pan out!"

He shrugged and stared at his empty glass. Before he could continue, the last orders bell rang.

The story was forgotten as they concentrated on their drinks, and then it was time to leave. Standing on the street outside the now empty pub, Spike and Angel wondered where to go. Illyria had promised to meet them again the next night in the warehouse where they'd first met The Doctor, but that was still nearly a day off.

"Better find some digs I 'spose." Spike said.

"You can come back to the Tardis!" The Doctor said. "Got loads of room. And no windows!"

"What do you think Peaches?" Spike asked, casting a flirtatious glance at his grandsire.

"Sounds good - and I've always wanted to see a time travel machine!" Angel replied, trying not to look too excited.

"Well - we'll happily squeeze in bed with you then!" Spike said, grinning.

"Not really my thing." The Doctor said, looking from one to the other. "But Jack would probably be delighted!"

As The Doctor watched Angel's horrified face and Spike's helpless laughter, he realised that he might just have misunderstood the vampires' relationship.


End file.
